What's New
Making Numeracy and Literacy Learning Visible in Play-Based Publicly Funded Programs
There is an increased movement toward locating early childhood programs within school environments. However, there remains some tension between long-held perceptions of play and the realities of play-based pedagogies, resulting in increasing pressure for evidence of outcomes in academic skills, such as numeracy and literacy.
The Importance of Junior Kindergarten
Every child deserves the best possible start. Expanding public education to include 4-year-olds through universal junior kindergarten is not just an investment in early learning, it’s an investment in equity, families, and our collective future. By ensuring access for all, we can close gaps before they widen, strengthen communities, and give every child the foundation they need to thrive.
L'importance de la maternelle 4 ans
Chaque enfant mérite le meilleur départ possible. Étendre l'enseignement public aux enfants de 4 ans grâce à la mise en place d'une maternelle universelle n'est pas seulement un investissement dans l'apprentissage précoce, c'est aussi un investissement dans l'équité, les familles et notre avenir collectif. En garantissant l'accès à tous, nous pouvons combler les écarts avant qu'ils ne se creusent, renforcer les communautés et donner à chaque enfant les bases dont il a besoin pour s'épanouir.
Junior Kindergarten: Sustaining current & future labour markets in fast growing communities.
Date: September 22, 2025 Location: Crowne Plaza, Downtown Moncton. Across Canada we are facing challenging economic times. Building a viable work force is critical, and making early learning and child care available for employees is essential. Junior Kindergarten is a popular part of this equation in North America. Currently, just over...
Giving for Change: How Philanthropy Shapes Early Education Policy
What if the key to a stronger, more just society lies in the earliest years of a child’s life? For decades, the Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain has been a driving force for change, championing the power of early education to shape brighter futures. As a trailblazer in public service and...
Highlighting Our Partnership with Mount Saint Vincent University
We’re honoured to be featured by the team at the Early Childhood Collaborative Research Centre (ECCRC), Mount Saint Vincent University, who highlighted our foundation’s work and ongoing commitment to advancing early childhood education. Through partnerships like this, we continue to support innovative research, policy development, and real change for children,...
The Role of Junior Kindergarten in Improving Child Mental Health Outcomes
Discussions about improving mental health outcomes for children often overlook a critical factor: the mental health and well-being of their educators. Research has long highlighted the importance of healthy, supportive environments for early childhood development, yet the working conditions of early childhood educators remain a blind spot.
Government investing $200 million in child-care sector
Government of New Brunswick, March 11, 2025 Excerpt: The provincial government is investing $200 million over five years to extend three child-care agreements with the federal government.One of them, the Canada-New Brunswick Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, has been extended to March 31, 2031.
The spaces are just not there’: Early childhood educators hope funding will bring better wages, paid sick days
CBC News, March 17, 2025 Description: Newfoundland and Labrador has signed a deal to extend Ottawa’s federal child-care program. It means more $10-a-day spaces are expected. Advocate Patrice Gordon says some parents are being forced to pay for costly private care, while others are leaving the workforce altogether. Watch the...
Affordable child care, a stronger economy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, March 6, 2025 Excerpt: "With these extensions, provinces and territories will receive $36.8 billion to move forward on progress to create new child care spaces, reduce waitlists, and hire more early childhood educators across the country. Affordable child care is good for kids and parents, and...
JK Delivering Striking Results in the NWT
When early learning programs are universal, participation soars. This broad reach delivers undeniable benefits, particularly for vulnerable children who stand to gain the most.
Does Expanding Education "Schoolify" Early Development?
Canada is moving toward expanding education to include four-year-olds. Nova Scotia, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories have strong models in place, while Quebec is phasing it in. Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan have targeted programs that are raising interest.
What is the Significance of the Lancet Series on The Next 1000 Days?
The release of new research on the importance of the early years is hardly news. A plethora of evidence has been established to mould public policy and inform early interventions to optimize the developmental outcomes of young children.
JK’s role is supporting allophone children
The findings are clear. Allophone children who attended daycare (or pre-kindergarten at age four, though to a lesser extent) show better cognitive development, improved social and emotional skills, and greater communication abilities.
Junior Kindergarten’s ability to improve mental health outcomes for young children
The ability to manage emotions is thought to be important for regulating stress at a physiological level, yet no prior published studies have examined young children’s emotion understanding or knowledge in relation to the stress hormone cortisol.
The success of introducing Junior Kindergarten in New York City
A little more than a decade ago, Bill de Blasio, then the New York City public advocate preparing a run for mayor, sat at a window table in Bar Toto in Park Slope with his policy adviser Ursulina Ramirez. The two batted around an idea: What if every child in the city could attend pre-K?
Auspice and other policy-related variations in preschool practice in the United States: have public preschool programs been more academic?
We investigated the extent to which practices considered developmentally appropriate and inappropriate varied by preschool program auspice (private, public school, and Head Start).
Common Concerns about Junior Kindergarten
Capacity is always a concern, especially in urban areas. Therefore, other province opted to phase it in over a couple of years to deal with capacity issues, starting in rural areas where ample space exists.
